Recently, many devices and systems have been introduced to automate and render “hands-free” various operating fixtures of public bathrooms. From simple foot operated garbage can lids to removal of entry doors, varied attempts to render public bathrooms hygienic and eliminate hand-contact with fixtures has been limited to on-off, start-stop, or open-close operations of traditional facilities.
One attempt to provide a hands-free door-opening apparatus, described by Snell et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,068,179 on 27 Jun. 2006, includes an apparatus for automatically opening a swinging restroom door. It comprises an actuator, a control unit, and a power assisted drive mechanism and proximity sensor. This apparatus is applied to an exit/entry door to a bathroom and is not adapted for use on a stall-door and a patron waves his or her hand within the detection zone of the proximity sensor, this movement activates the door to open. Snell, however, does not contemplate adapting the apparatus for a stall-door, which typically is a much lighter door and lacks the physical space requirements for his apparatus. Further, not contemplated by Snell is the need for locking the stall door when occupied by a patron and indicating to waiting patrons that the stall is occupied.
Other attempts at hands-free operation of other bathroom fixtures include providing a sensor coupled to an activation mechanism whereby motion of a patron's hand within the proximity sensor's range causes towels to dispense from automated paper-towel dispensers, turns on a stream of water from a faucet, dollops a pre-determined amount of soap from a soap dispenser, or begins a time cycle activation of a heated hand dryer, for example. Motion sensors are also used to automate toilette flushing.
Yet, to date, no attempts have been made to successfully operate and lock “hands-free” a bathroom stall door. The traditional method of locking bathroom stall doors still requires the patron to contact a lever and bolt the door, or turn a cam to lock the stall-door. Further, there have been no successful attempts to enable hands-free opening and closing of the stall-door. The stall door presents problems and challenges not contemplated by any prior-art attempts to automate bathroom facilities functions. Thus, there remains a need for a device that can be fit to existing stall-doors or incorporated into new stall-doors that enables a patron to open and close the door hands-free and further to lock the door without contacting any surfaces. Further, such an improvement should also inform waiting patrons that the stall is occupied. Such an improvement should further include low power-consumption mechanisms and be easy to install and operate. Yet still another need is an easy-to-use device that enables disabled patrons to operate the stall door.